A postal inhaler recycling scheme taking place in pharmacies in the Midlands is to be extended after positive feedback from patients.  

The scheme called Take AIR (Take Action for Inhaler Recycling) was launched in February 2021 and was initially due to run for 12 months in hospitals and community pharmacies across the Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland area.  

However, after a successful first year, the pharmaceutical company Chiesi – which developed and funded the scheme – has extended it by six months. This means the scheme will now end in August 2022.  

‘We have extended the pilot due to the positive feedback from users of the scheme and to gather more data for our evaluation,’ a spokesperson for the pharmaceutical company told Tthe Pharmacist.  

They also said that there were ‘no plans’ to run this scheme nationally. ‘However, we are engaging with all stakeholders from the NHS and industry to explore solutions,’ they added. 

Green pharmacy

As of 25 February, just days before the scheme was initially due to close, 20,008 inhalers had been recycled through the scheme and 64% (146) of all eligible pharmacies were taking part. 

Patients who wish to take part in the pilot can ask their local pharmacist for a pre-paid postage envelope to recycle up to four empty, unwanted, or out-of-date inhalers of any brand and type. 

This comes after the Primary Care Respiratory Society (PCRS), published a white paper in 2020, calling for better processes and information on how and where to recycle, safely dispose and return inhalers to help ‘reduce landfill, wasted medication and release of harmful propellants and gases’. 

According to the British Lung Foundation and Recycle Now there are 12.5 million people in the UK currently living with a respiratory illness, and 73 million inhalers are used annually. 

In a study published this year, researchers found that switching an asthma patient from a metered-dose to a dry powder inhaler significantly reduces their carbon footprint without loss of asthma control.  

Last week, The Pharmacist revealed that as many as 260 pharmacies across England and Scotland now recycle injection pens as part of a new green scheme. 

Both schemes came after the Primary Care Respiratory Society (PCRS), published a white paper late last year, calling for better processes and information on how and where to recycle, safely dispose and return inhalers to help ‘reduce landfill, wasted medication and release of harmful propellants and gases’.